


Gotta Get Brooklyn

by camichats



Category: Newsies (1992)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:38:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24840184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/camichats/pseuds/camichats
Summary: Someone needs to go talk to Brooklyn. Dave doesn't know enough to say no, and Jack can't let him go alone even though him and Spot have an agreement that when he visits, he doesn't talk about newsies on goings.
Relationships: Spot Conlon/Jack Kelly
Comments: 6
Kudos: 26





	Gotta Get Brooklyn

**Author's Note:**

> Most of the dialogue is either ripped directly from the movie or changed slightly to reference that Spot and Jack are together

"So what about Brooklyn?" Jack called, and everyone averted their eyes. Aw you've gotta be yanking him. He wasn't s'posed to go to Spot's territory for the official stuff. That was the deal they'd made when they started; Jack would keep to his places, and Spot would keep to his. No more overlap for newsies business after that. "Come on, Spot Conlon’s territory. What’s the matter? You scared of Brooklyn?" 

"Hey!" Boot protested. "We ain’t scared of Brooklyn. Spot Conlon just... makes us a little nervous." 

Jack snorted. There were some good stories out of Brooklyn, and he thought at least half of them were true. "Yeah, well he don't make me nervous. Hey Dave, you nervous t' go to Brooklyn?" 

Dave's wide-eyed look said he was real nervous, but he said, "Uh, no. Sure, I’ll come with you," like he wasn't. Then he added, "Just as soon as you deliver our demands to Pulitzer." 

This kid was going to be the not-fun kind of trouble, but Jack wasn't about to lose face when they were already working to put it together. Talk to the big Joe? Yeah sure, why not. It'd be worth it for Dave not ratting on him when him and Spot were a little too comfortable around each other. 

* * *

"I've never been to Brooklyn before," Dave said when they were on the bridge, crossing over to Brooklyn. "Have you?" 

"Yeah, all th' time." 

"Why?" 

"Better games," he said with a twist to his mouth that was going to pass for a smile. 

Dave frowned at him. "So if you're here all the time, why didn't you volunteer to go? Besides, Brooklyn's the most important that we recruit, aren't they? It should've been you coming here the whole time." 

"Wanted to give some of the other guys a chance, but they got better things to be doin', don't they?" 

Instead of that clearing it up for him, Dave's frown deepened. "They said this Spot Conlon made them nervous. Is he really dangerous?" 

Jack laughed, and it sort of echoed around them. Everything sounded different on the water. "Yeah, but don't worry about it, you'll be fine." 

"Because I'm a newsie?" Dave guessed. 

"Nah, 'cause you're with me. And Spot don't like new folks very much, y'know? Don't wander off," Jack said, pushing at Dave's head-- all it did was move his hat a little and make him puff up like a pigeon before fixing it. 

Dave spent most of the walk talking about his family and worrying that something bad was going to happen to Les-- Jack tried to tell him that Les was with the newsies so he'd be fine, but Dave started harping about all the ways 'their kind' weren't any good for him to be around. The other part of the walk was Dave getting a stick in his eye over if they were going to live through their visit to Brooklyn. 

They finally made it to the dock where Spot had set up shop, and it was pretty clear that some of the guys were noticing that Dave was there and not liking it. One them pulled himself up out of the water and landed right in front of them. "What's with the side-piece, Kelly?" 

Jack breezed right by him, and Dave followed at a slower, more confused, pace. 

"Spot ain't gonna like that," he heard the Brooklyn newsie mutter, but then he was jumping back in the water and Jack didn’t have to worry about it. 

Spot was lounging on top of some crates, hat on his head and cane dangling over the side held loosely by his fingers. He rolled his head to look at them lazily. "Well, if it ain't Jack-be-nimble," his eyes darted to Dave accusingly, then back to Jack, "Jack-be-quick." 

"How you liking the river, Spot? Better view from all the way up there?" 

"Call it a bird's eye," he said, pushing himself up so he was sitting like normal. Spot put his club in its usual position on his belt. "You wanna hear what the other birds are sayin' 'bout you Manhattan boys?" He jumped down. "Queens, Harlem, Bronx, all of 'em been saying that Jack's newsies actin' like they playin' at a strike." 

"Yeah, cause we are." 

"But- but we're not playing," Dave insisted, all big eyes straight out of his apartment with his whole family that loved him and stuck together. "We _are_ going on strike." 

"Oh yeah?" Spot said, nodding like he was earnest and getting a little in Dave's face. "Yeah?" 

"Um, yeah." 

Spot sneered, backing up again. "What the fuck is this mess, Jacky-boy? We had a pretty good arrangement goin'. I don't remember invitin' your boy here. What's he good for, anyway? Talking? Talk at you all day, Jacky-boy, like he's some kinda walkin' mouth?" 

"Yeah, he's a mouth. A mouth with a brain attached, and he's why our strike ain't fallin' apart. You gotta give him a chance, and you'll hear what everyone else hears, and not just from the birds." Jack was testing Spot's patience, and he knew it. But what else could he do? They needed Brooklyn on this. Brooklyn knew what they were doing, they had it all worked out, so Jack saying it again wouldn’t do any good. They needed to be persuaded, and that wasn’t what Jack was good at. 

Spot clenched his jaw, then relaxed it, and made a big show of leaning back to listen. He looked at Dave and raised an eyebrow. 

Dave didn't take the hint though, and Jack hit his arm to get him to start yakking. "Well uh, we started the strike, but we can’t do it alone. So, we've uh- we’re talking to newsies all around the city." 

"Yeah," Spot said flatly. "I heard that already. What did they say to you?" 

"They're waiting to see what Spot Conlon is doing," Dave said. Jack didn't know if Dave knew it was smart to play to Spot's ego, or if he thought it was the truth. Didn't really matter because it was their best chance at getting Brooklyn in. “See, you’re the key. Spot Conlon is the most respected and famous newsie in all of New York, and- and probably everywhere else." Dave's eyes darted to Jack, but it's not like Jack could do anything to help him right now. Dave was the one good at talking, Jack was here to make sure people listened. "And if Spot Conlon joins the strike, then they all join and we’ll be _unstoppable_. So you gotta join, I mean..." Dave glanced at him again. He was stumbling, but there wasn't anything Jack could do about that. "Well I mean, you gotta!" 

Spot was nodding a little, but Jack knew that look on his face didn't mean he was in. "Well whaddya know, Jacky-boy. It's like you said: a mouth with brains." He straightened from where he'd been leaning. "But I got some brains too. How do I know you punks won’t run the first time some goon comes atcha with a club?" He looked directly at Jack and said, "How do I know you got what it takes to win?" 

"Because I'm tellin' ya we do, Spot." Right after he finished saying it, he knew it wasn't going to work. Spot had to look after his people, especially since they had more to deal with than a strike and the rising cost of papes. 

"Yeah, that's what you're tellin' me," he repeated lowly. "But it ain't good enough. You want me to believe you can win? You gotta show me. Why don't you go back to Manhattan and think some things over, huh?" Spot's eyes darted to Dave. "And next time you come to Brooklyn, it's gonna be alone." 

"Anyone ever tell ya you're paranoid, Spot?" 

"Ain't paranoia, Jacky-boy. Get th' green ears off my dock, 'fore we toss him in." 

"Yeah yeah, we're leavin'." 

They turned to leave, but Spot caught Jack's arm before he could get far. "You shoulda sent somebody else." 

"Yeah well nobody else was willin' to talk with you. Said you make 'em nervous." 

Spot snorted, then leaned in for a kiss. 

It was real obvious when Dave turned back around to see where Jack was because he gasped and sorta stumbled on himself. 

"Your boys are a lil too straight-laced for these parts." 

"Yeah, but like I said, he's the brains." 

"Mm." Spot gave Jack a small shove to get him moving. "Gotta be serious, Jacky-boy." 

Dave didn't say anything for a while, not until they were out of sight from all the Brooklyn newsies. "So... that's Brooklyn." 

"Yeah. Listen, 'bout me and Spot, the other guys know, but they don't like hearin' 'bout it." One little lie wasn't going to hurt nothing, not on top of all the others he had. ‘sides, it was a topic that would _really_ make them all nervous. "Keep it to yourself, yeah?" 

"Yes, um- sure. Of course." God, Dave was so twitchy. As long as he was twitchy with his mouth shut though, they'd be fine. Not like anyone in Brooklyn cared; it's what they were used to. 

* * *

"You came," Jack said, smirking. 

"Yeah. Couldn't let your face bashed in when it's the best thing about ya. 'Sides, maybe that brain of yours had a point. Stronger together, all that shit." 

"Y'know how strikes work, Spot. Gotta get together or it all falls apart." 

"Damn shame," Spot said, but he wasn't thinking about it anymore. "Got a wall we won't get caught at?" 

Jack snickered. "Yeah, over here." He pulled Spot to it, and got pushed up against the hard brick for it. Spot was on him in an instant, ripping off his hat so he wouldn't be as quickly recognized if someone saw them. 

"You were right about the strike, but don't you ever bring that brain back to my place." 

"Marking your territory there, Spot?" Jack asked with a snort. 

"No complaints, Jacky-boy," Spot said, hands rucking Jack's shirt from where it had been tucked into his pants so he could get his hands on skin. "Ya knew I was like this." 


End file.
